Is it possible to create an animation file of an animated genesis and then bring in this file to another scene so I can use it on all the genesis in that scene? I need to have each genesis animating one after the other in the timeline.

This is my process: Created two pose presets (just the upper body as Im only moving the arm). Added an empty aniblock… THEN when I start recording the animation in puppeteer the genesis arches his back!!!!

Is it because I am saving the pose preset with just the upper body ticked? Im doing this as I dont want his current position saved.

One of the problems with using Puppeteer is that Puppeteer records the root position of the figure. If you are reusing aniBlocks, you don’t want the root position recorded. In fact when you create the aniBlock, all root positions are discarded, which may account for the odd results you are seeing.

Say you are doing a crouch, as in the above video, you might want 3 Genesises in 3 different positions doing the same crouch. So the root position is recorded outside of the aniBlock. The aniBlock does not hold the root position, because you wouldn’t be able to apply the same block to 3 different Genesises.

This is an older video of a stair animation using Puppeteer, and creating an aniBlock, which could be reused by other characters:

Thanks very much carnite - helps a lot and its very clear thankyou. I have also brought in my two poses and see their keyframes show up in animate2 and it animates.

I have a couple of questions:

1. how do you add a keyframe without moving the character?

2. when i move my pose presets onto the genesis, is it necessary to add it onto a particular body part? for example my pose preset is literally hand on the table and then hand on the face. if i drag this onto his thigh, i see in the studio keys layer for Right Thigh add a keyframe. is it best to select the genesis, not a body part, and then double click the pose preset?

3. how can i see all layers of the studio keys, eg for each body part. i just added a new genesis and moved him and its recorded this movment, i removed the keyframe at that position (wasnt at 0) but i must have also recorded it at another keyframe as hes moving, but i cannot see which layer without clicking on each body part.

Regarding pose presets:

I saved the two poses as a full pose with all body parts ticked and also as just the right shoulder that is being moved. if i drag the second one, just the shoulder movement, onto a new genesis, he moves to a new position in the scene. any idea why?

also, what steps would you take when saving a pose preset to just export the shoulder only, for example? or should i instead be using the Poser Format Exporter, as you previously mentioned, for exporting a pose (this seems more advanced).

Im in Australia, so off to bed now. Thanks a lot for your help carnite and Jaderail!!

If you are using Studio Keys, which I tend to do, and then create an aniBlock later, then you can go to the Timeline Tab and use the Create Keyframe button. (Timeline and Studio Keys both act on the same DAZ Studio Keyframe.) You can shift or ctrl click multiple parts in the scene tab to key multiples.

If you are animating inside an aniBlock, this is not creating DAZ Studio keyframes. There is a +key icon to add keyframes for parts.

2. when i move my pose presets onto the genesis, is it necessary to add it onto a particular body part? for example my pose preset is literally hand on the table and then hand on the face. if i drag this onto his thigh, i see in the studio keys layer for Right Thigh add a keyframe. is it best to select the genesis, not a body part, and then double click the pose preset?

I’ve forgotten what you mean by a “pose preset” - is this saving the pose by File Menu > Save As > DSF Pose File? If so, did you untick the joints you did not want recorded?

3. how can i see all layers of the studio keys, eg for each body part. i just added a new genesis and moved him and its recorded this movment, i removed the keyframe at that position (wasnt at 0) but i must have also recorded it at another keyframe as hes moving, but i cannot see which layer without clicking on each body part.

You can’t really, except in the Graph Editor option of an aniBlock. You can see that in the aniMate2 manual.

In DS3, there’s a free plugin called Geppetto, but of course it won’t work with Genesis, which is only DS4.

We’re hoping DS5 will bring better animation changes.

Regarding pose presets:

I saved the two poses as a full pose with all body parts ticked and also as just the right shoulder that is being moved. if i drag the second one, just the shoulder movement, onto a new genesis, he moves to a new position in the scene. any idea why?

Probably because all parts are keyed as well as the root of the figure. The root is why he is moving to a new position in the scene. Only joints “hip” downwards should be keyed in poses.

also, what steps would you take when saving a pose preset to just export the shoulder only, for example? or should i instead be using the Poser Format Exporter, as you previously mentioned, for exporting a pose (this seems more advanced).

I think I might have misled you with the PFE. I don’t know DS4 very well, and there is this saving as a DSF Pose thingy, where you can untick all the parts you don’t want keyed.

Im in Australia, so off to bed now. Thanks a lot for your help carnite and Jaderail!!

I have a request. If I might bother you carnite. If you could write a quick and dirty DS4pro timeline to AniBloke PDF with pictures that had all the steps, I would owe you big time. I got into 3D to do Animation, I now think my skills have progressed well enough in still renders that I’m ready to at least try taking it to the next level.

It won’t be forthcoming immediately, I’m afraid; but I will mull it over for when I have a bit of free time.

I assume you mean more than “1. Pose”, “2. Move playhead and pose”, “3. Right click at top of aniMate2 tab and choose Create aniBlock from Studio Keys”?

Because that’s basically it .

The trouble is that there are a number of “gotchas” with aniBlocks, because they’re primarily for pre-made mocap animation. So if you’re doing your own animation, then there are a number of frustrations, that I probably would not be able to cover in a quick and dirty pdf.

[Another difficulty is that I don’t particularly enjoy DS4, as I can’t find my content, Genesis is slow, I don’t like the colours and GUI in general compared to DS3, and Geppetto and other useful plugins don’t exist in DS4.]

Thank you carnite for your comments. I have watched all the tutorials in gofigure3d and lot more familiar with its functions, although not enough for what I am trying to do here.

Oh gawd.. now we have multi quotes.. hehe well at least this might help some other poor soul along the way

2. when i move my pose presets onto the genesis, is it necessary to add it onto a particular body part? for example my pose preset is literally hand on the table and then hand on the face. if i drag this onto his thigh, i see in the studio keys layer for Right Thigh add a keyframe. is it best to select the genesis, not a body part, and then double click the pose preset?

I’ve forgotten what you mean by a “pose preset” - is this saving the pose by File Menu > Save As > DSF Pose File? If so, did you untick the joints you did not want recorded?

I have been saving my pose presets by clicking the save a pose preset button at the top above the scene, and then in the pop up window deselecting his hip as Im only animating his shoulder down. I will try saving it as a DSF Pose file. The problem I was having yesterday was when I dragged each pose onto the genesis, depending on where I dragged it - say his thigh for example, this created a keyframe on his Right Thigh layer in animate2. I’m guessing its best to have the genesis selected using double click and then double clicking the pose preset to add it.

3. how can i see all layers of the studio keys, eg for each body part. i just added a new genesis and moved him and its recorded this movment, i removed the keyframe at that position (wasnt at 0) but i must have also recorded it at another keyframe as hes moving, but i cannot see which layer without clicking on each body part.

You can’t really, except in the Graph Editor option of an aniBlock. You can see that in the aniMate2 manual.

In DS3, there’s a free plugin called Geppetto, but of course it won’t work with Genesis, which is only DS4.

We’re hoping DS5 will bring better animation changes.

Cool. Ill check out the graph editor, its a shame you cannot see all layers, this is quite limiting. I dont think we should wait for DS5 for Geppetto, we should have it for DS4, we should live for now

Regarding pose presets:

I saved the two poses as a full pose with all body parts ticked and also as just the right shoulder that is being moved. if i drag the second one, just the shoulder movement, onto a new genesis, he moves to a new position in the scene. any idea why?

Probably because all parts are keyed as well as the root of the figure. The root is why he is moving to a new position in the scene. Only joints “hip” downwards should be keyed in poses.

Not sure how I deselect the root? As mentioned I have deselected the hip for just this animation that moves the right arm only.

Gold Coast-ite here smile.

..another Brit in Australia I see! we sure are spoilt this winter in sydney

I have been saving my pose presets by clicking the save a pose preset button at the top above the scene, and then in the pop up window deselecting his hip as Im only animating his shoulder down. I will try saving it as a DSF Pose file. The problem I was having yesterday was when I dragged each pose onto the genesis, depending on where I dragged it - say his thigh for example, this created a keyframe on his Right Thigh layer in animate2. I’m guessing its best to have the genesis selected using double click and then double clicking the pose preset to add it.

Sorry, I don’t tend to use pose presets when animating. That’s a .dsb script file that you’re using then. With those, if I haven’t organized myself to have them in the Content folder, I just get a small Finder window (that’s Mac for Explorer) on top of DS, and drag the dsb directly from the folder onto the figure. I just did it for a right collar downwards and I didn’t get chest or thigh keyframes.

Cool. Ill check out the graph editor, its a shame you cannot see all layers, this is quite limiting. I dont think we should wait for DS5 for Geppetto, we should have it for DS4, we should live for now

Geppetto was written by a great forum member called Artemia Salina. He thinks that DS4 is constructed differently, so the Geppetto concepts won’t translate to DS4. But the DS4 SDK (developer script) has not been released yet, so we’re not 100% sure yet.

Not sure how I deselect the root? As mentioned I have deselected the hip for just this animation that moves the right arm only.

Not sure either. You can select the base (“Genesis”) in the Scene tab and delete the keyframe.

..another Brit in Australia I see! we sure are spoilt this winter in sydney

Lol it is really isnt it? I was doing it the wrong way round, creating an aniblock first.

Oh, I do that too - it just depends on which way the wind’s blowing. The graph editor inside the aniBlock is very good. It’s just that with Geppetto, and if I’m using Puppeteer, then it’s easier to do it outside the aniBlock. But Puppeteer unfortunately creates keys on all joints, so I only do that for fairly simple animations, or if I’m in a hurry.

Im tempted to check out DS3..

Except that Genesis is a really good concept, with smoothing etc, and being able to use multiple wardrobes.

Jaderail, the fact that you actually want to animate means that you are more than ready to step up, go for it!

Animating is really frustrating . All over the internet you will find “Animation is Hard”. In my happier freer times, I would spend hours and hours making just a few seconds of animation, then sit back, play it a few times and move on . I haven’t had much time for animating lately, and you do get rusty if you don’t animate regularly. Like anything, I suppose.